Better than a Red Ryder
by GrandMoffAmbrius
Summary: A look at the best Christmas Greg and Nick had when they were younger and then their first Christmas they spent together at the Lab. Finally, it's the Christmas when they realize they have the best Christmas gift of all.


Disclaimer: I do not own anything of CSI. If I did, then things would be a whole lot different.

A/N: Thanks to my Beta Seshat3. A little Christmas One-Shot for you to enjoy. Details are found at the bottom Author's Notes but they should be easy to figure out from context. The title comes from the plot of _**A Christmas Story**_ where all Ralphie wanted was a "Red Ryder BB Gun with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time."

-Better than a Red Ryder

Greg's favorite Christmas occurred when he was nine years old. That was the year he got his very first chemistry set. It had everything, beakers, test tubes, goggles, tools and all sort of different chemicals and compounds to experiment with. Along with all that and the booklet full of experiments, what really made Greg's eyes gleam with childhood joy was the real microscope that came with the set. Greg could still recall his screams of joy as he unwrapped the large box and the smile on his Nana's and Papa's face when he turned to show everyone what he got.

"Julenissen must have thought you were a very good boy," his Nana Greta told him.

"More likely, Julenissen liked the Serinakaker you left out for him," Papa Olaf said with a smile as he took a bite of one of the uneaten cookies Greg had left out for Santa."

Greg's mom, Irene, had not been all too pleased with the gift. It was not because she was afraid her son might accidently blow the roof off the house or of the stains that might end up on the carpet. What had upset Irene was the mere fact Greg had gotten the chemistry set in the first place. Chemistry could be very dangerous and that was one of the reasons she tried to get Greg to become more interested in hobby that would not cause harm. Her father had showed Greg his coin collection and Greg did show some interest in that. Irene would have far happier with Greg getting a book about coin collecting rather than a chemistry set. She could only hope her son's interest in chemistry was just a temporary one.

"He'll be fine, dear," Irene's husband Michael assured her as he passed her a warm cup of coffee.

"I hope," she said. "I just don't want him to get hurt."

Looking back, she saw Greg had set the chemistry set aside and was now unwrapping the hand knitted sweater her mother had made him with a another glee filled smile.

For Nick, his favorite Christmas was the one when he was ten and he got his own horse he later named Clemens.

"Why don't you head out to the barn and start feeding the horse," William Stokes told his son as he poured himself a cup of coffee. The Stokes had finished unwrapping their presents a while ago and while it was Christmas, they still had chores to do.

"Okay, dad," young Nick answered and after he got his work boots and jacket on, Nick headed out to the main barn. There, he went about getting fresh hair and water for the horses. Since it was Christmas, Nick gave the each of the horses a few carrots and apple slices for a special treat. Just as he went about filling the horses' water pails when he heard movement coming from the last stall on the left. Since he knew that stall was empty, Nick assumed it was just the dogs since it was common for them to sleep in the empty stalls. After he had finished watering the last horse and was starting to wonder why his dad still had not turned up, a loud neigh was heard from the back of the barn. Intrigued, Nick went towards the back and was surprised at what he found in the stall.

Inside the stall was a horse Nick had never seen before. It was a male Morgan with gorgeous bay brown coat and ebony dark mane and tail. It looked at Nick with gentle dark eyes and Nick made sure to remain calm as to not spook it as he made eye contact and slowly made his way into the stall and stopped once inside.

"Hey there boy," Nick said calmly as he reached into his pocket and took out the last carrot he had and held it out. "Would like a carrot?"

The horse walked over to him and sniffed his hand before he started to munch on the offered carrot. Nick then reached up and started to pet him as he ate the carrot. Once the horse had finished, he let out a soft nicker and started to rub its head against Nick. Never had a horse taken to him so quickly.

"I hope you like him," a voice said.

Looking up, Nick saw his dad standing in the stall's door way with a smile.

"You mean…?"

"He's all yours son. You've shown me you're ready to handle him."

Nick was ecstatic beyond words. He had his own horse. Not a pony but a real horse just like the one his father had. True he knew his siblings would say it was because he was the youngest and getting special treatment but Nick did not care.

"Thanks Dad," Nick managed to say as he continued petting.

"Merry Christmas Nick," Judge Stokes said as he walked over to his son and wrapped an arm around him and joined him in petting his son's present.

It was the first Christmas since Greg had started working at the Crime Lab and already Nick and Greg were both head over heels for each other. Of course the other one did not know that. They flirted and danced around each other but neither took that first step telling the other how they felt. So whether it was fate or just sheer dumb luck, Nick and Greg had drawn the other for their Secret Santa.

'_Okay, Nick likes Country music, Football, birds, working out those muscular arms,_' Greg thought as he drummed his pen on the table while he waited for the computer to come up with the results of the samples the Texan had left with him the other night. The image of Nick flexing his arms as he often did made the young tech quiver. _'That helps me out.'_

Greg had no idea what to get the Texan. They got along great but he did not know if Nick thought of him in the same way. While Greg thought of Nick as a good friend he really did not know if he could call him a close friend or even a best friend like Nick and Warrick. Then there was the fact the two CSIs would poke fun at him for any of his little traits. Like his taste in music, cloths, his hair or his habit of sharing random information and then walk off laughing and punching each other in the arm. While he never vocally complained to either one or to someone like Catherine, Greg was always hurting inside after the two of them left his lab.

"Hey G, you got my results yet?" Nick Stokes asked as he entered the lab drawing the tech out of his thoughts.

"They'll be ready in a couple of minutes," Greg answered as he swung his chair around to face Nick and placed the pen he had been drumming with behind his ear. "Contrary to what many of you CSIs think, I'm not Zoran you know."

"Who?"

"Zoran. He's the Norse God of Speed. He's the son Odin, the ruler of Asgard and Hel, the Goddess of Death. Didn't you learn anything in college besides beer pong?" Greg could not help but say the last part with just a touch of tongue in cheek.

"Well Norse Mythology isn't something big in Texas, Greggo." Nick replied as he crossed his arm with a smirk.

"Oh, big surprise there," Greg said as the computer alerted him that the testing had completed. "And now just a push of the button and…wolah. One perfectly finished DNA comparison for our contestant from Texas but first, you have to answer one question," Greg teased as he wanked back the results before Nick could take them. "Who did you get for the Secret Santa?"

"Archie," Nick quickly lied as he snatched the results. "And who did you get?"

"I'm not telling." Greg chuckled. "So you heading home for Christmas?"

Nick let out a sad sigh. "No. I had planned on but Ecklie stuck me with the Christmas shift because Grissom is going to see his mom. I was really looking forward to 'cause I've been aching to do some riding with Hot Shot."

"I take it Hot Shot is the personal steed of Nick Stokes."

"Yep. He was sired by the first horse I ever got, Clemens. I had Clemens for twenty two years before he died my second year in college. I'll tell you if there's one thing I miss more than my family is riding horses. Oh well, thanks G. See you later."

As Greg watched Nick leave the lab an idea came to mind and Greg smiled.

'_So Greg's into high priced coffee, surfing, chess, horrid music, showing off that cute butt of his,' _Nick thought while he was supposed to be working on his case.

The CSI wanted to get something special for the young tech. Nick knew he was in love with Greg but he had no idea if he should admit it to the man or not. He was afraid what Greg's reaction would be since he did not know if Greg thought about him in same way. Greg would flirt with him but he would flirt with Catherine and Sara as well. The fact Greg had not mentioned any past relationships just added to Nick's anxiety.

'_Maybe something to remind him of California,_' Nick pondered. _'Or something about...' _then suddenly an idea came to him. _'Yeah. That'll work.' _Nick wrote himself a note and with that settled, Nick was able to focus on his case.

When it came time for the lab's Christmas Party, both Greg and Nick were both nervous not knowing how the other would react to the gift they had gotten for one another. After the gifts had been handed out, everyone started to unwrap.

Nick had been handed a green envelop which he figured contained a gift card to somewhere but when he opened it there was no gift card. Inside was a brochure for The Rocking H Ranch just outside of town. The ranch had stables where one could board their horse and there was a notice inside that stated a full year of board had been paid for. He had thought about doing some research into stable in Vegas but never got a chance to do so. Now he would be able to move Hot Shot to Vegas and be able to ride him whenever he got the chance. Nick was beyond words.

The present Greg had been handed was small and wrapped in sun bathing snowmen wrapping paper. After he had finished unwrapping, Greg found his gift was a Ny Form Troll. The popular Norwegian trolls figures were a very popular collectible and only available in Norway. The closer he looked at the box; Greg saw it was a special troll. The troll he was given was a Punk Rocker Guitarist Troll. Tall and lean with a puff of frizzy black hair sticking out all over and holding a guitar, the figure looked like a troll version of Greg. Greg broke out in his trademark ear to ear reaching smile.

It was a couple of years later after they got together that Greg and Nick told each they had selected each other that first Christmas.

Christmas was several days away and already they were ready. The outdoor lights and decorations were put up. The tree was up, this year it was the artificial tree since they alternated each year, and it was decorated with several of the ornaments Oliver had made in preschool. At they still had a number of gifts to buy and wrap but at the moment the two CSIs were taking a much needed and deserved break and enjoying the warmth of the other.

"Did you ever want a Red Ryder BB gun?" Greg asked his husband as they sat watching _A Christmas Story _on the TV.

"Sure did, but I had to wait till I was thirteen to get one," Nick answered.

Greg looked at Nick with a look of confusion. "So you got a full grown horse at ten years old but had to wait till you were thirteen for a BB gun?

"What can I say?" Nick said with a shrug. "Mom was more willing to trust me with a horse rather than with a gun. How about you?"

Greg laughed. "With my mom; are you kidding? "

"Sorry," Nick replied as he joined his husband in laughing. "I forgot."

"Well old age will do that," Greg said as he playfully punched Nick in the arm.

Nick repeated the actin and the two of them traded harmless punches until they caught sight of four year old Oliver coming into the room.

"Pappa, Daddy, no fighting. Santa no like fighting. Bring you coal."

"You're right Oliver," Nick said with a smile and turned to Greg. "Sorry Pappa for hitting you."

"I'm sorry too Daddy," Greg answered in a similar tone of sincerity for their son's benefit.

"Good," Oliver said. "We make cookies for Santa, now?"

"You bet," Greg replied getting up and followed his smiling son into the kitchen. "Coming Daddy?"

"Yes and he's not allowed to use the hand mixer."

"I hadn't planned on it."

When Nick saw Greg roll his eyes at his statement, Nick smirked and added "Well, I was talking _to_ Oliver, not _about_ him."

Greg scowled at Nick who just smiled in return. "You're lucky I don't want to be on the Naughty List and get coal," Greg retorted before he placed a kiss on Nick's check.

"How lucky for me," Nick said as he wrapped an arm around Greg's shoulder and led them into the kitchen where Oliver was waiting for them.

The small family had a wonderful time baking. Nick kept telling Greg to stop eating the cookie dough and Greg had a blast decorating the sugar cookies with Oliver and adding more and more chocolate chips into the chocolate chip cookie batter. Oliver enjoyed being able to eat a cookie when his fathers were occupied with each other. Nick and Greg did not really worry what they had gotten each other for Christmas. They already had the best present they could give to each other, a loving family. Of course, the tickets for the Dallas Cowboy's first game of the season Greg got and the brand new coffee machine Nick had bought had not been bad ideas either.

The End.

-Arthur's Note-

Merry Christmas Everyone. I hope you've enjoyed this little one-shot. I look forward to reading you're reviews and opinions.

Here are the details, Julenissen is what they call Santa Clause in Norway and Serinakaker is a classic Norwegian cookie that has almonds in them. Morgan horses can live up to 30 years. The Rocking H Ranch is a real ranch located just outside of Las Vegas and the Punk Rocker Guitarist Ny Form Troll is real troll figure that you can buy.

I'm working on new chapters and will hopefully be updating soon. As all ways, I look forward to what you think and you have all my thanks.

Have A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!


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